Escaping the Fate
by ninjaslayer101
Summary: This is a story that revolves around gladiators fighting. Sasuke Uchiha was a gladiator and has had a horrible life. Can all that change when the daughter of the yondaime hokage rescues him from his misery?
1. The gladiator

**(A/N: In this story, a building is made that it similar to the gladiators in the colosseum. It is in modern times, not in the past)**

I stared up into the sky seeing the bright blue sky and the big clouds. Dust went in my eyes, blocking my view. I sighed and lied back down on the cheap rags I was given as a child. I did, however catch the guards talking about the games going on in the ampitheatre. I had no chance of escaping. I was captured and forced to be a slave after my parents' death. At five years old, it was pretty rough for me. Needless to say, all that work had made pretty strong, but my muscles almost always gave out from the lack of food. Nobody cared that I was still in mourning, nobody cared that I was only five, nobody cared if I died from being overworked. They never cared, the people that were rich and noble. They were always the most selfish out of all of the may have looked good but they were demons in disguise. This year, it was my first year, as a gladiator. Only three years and I would be free. But being the smart fifteen year old I was, I knew it wouldn't be easy. I had to make sure that I wouldn't get killed and be the one that killed the others. I wasn't a killer. I didn't want to kill the ones that suffered the same as me, but there was no other choice. The tournament was today in the arena. I only had a couple of hours and I already felt sick. I had no idea what I was going to do. The hours passed too quickly for my liking and before we knew it, we were forced into gladiator suits. I looked around uncomfortably. All the people were men in their mid thirties with experience and well built bodies. I just wanted another chance in life. Maybe I will get to meet my parents in the afterlife.

"Uchiha Sasuke," my name was called by the guards, with my armor clattering. I was taken into a hallway where I had a good view of the stadium. There were thousands and thousands of people looking at the arena and they were all watching intently at the stadium. Oh look thousands of people have gathered to see me die what an honor, I thought. The guards pushed me ahead until we were by the door. I looked behind and saw many others behind me. I wouldn't miss this place. Taking a deep breath I stepped forward and the breeze made my black hair get swept in the wind.


	2. Tournament

First person POV:

The stadium was filled with commoners with ruler, the Hokage, sitting on the main chair. The hokage's family sat on chairs next to him. His wife on the chair to his right and his daughter to the left. The common people were all seated on the benches provided in the arena and were staring intently. There were big screens providing a view on what was going on and nets blocking flying weapons from hitting the audience. I scanned the area seeing if I could use it to my advantage. Walking towards the center of the stage there were many gasps and whispers going on.

Third person POV:

What? The hokage's daughter thought. Why is there a teenager in the stadium. He's only about my age. Only people in their twenties participated in the stadium.

"Dad," she muttered.

"I know," the Hokage, Minato Namikaze, cut off, " I didn't allow them to let the kid in the tournament, Naruko. They were working on their own." Naruko sighed and looked at the guy. He seemed to be forced to participate, and by his actions was thinking of a way to maybe survive. She looked down at her feet imagining how it would feel to be like him. She felt so bad for not being able to help him. Naruko clasped the weapon by her side just in case she needed to go over and help him. Being the tomboy she was, she didn't wear dresses so it would be easy for her to move around.

Sasuke grabbed the flimsy sword he was given testing it out. How was he supposed to use this against the clubs that the others had? The other people were huge. The only assets he had was his speed and his brain. After a while, all the people were gathered and the bell for the start of the tournament rang. Bunches of people headed toward him. He dodged the first sword, and stepped up on it as it swung down. He smirked in the man's face and brought his own sword up and stabbed the man. Behind him he heard armor heading near. I have to get faster at this and use all my senses. Sasuke turned around forcefully ripping his sword out of the other guy's body and using it to protect himself from the attack of another man as he charged. This guy was way stronger and made Sasuke's hand shake from pressure. Sasuke couldn't hold it up for long. The man noticed this and kicked him in the shin. Sasuke fell back but took the chance to swing his leg and hit the other guy. The man took a second to catch his balance and Sasuke took the chance to pierce the man. He breathed a sigh of relief. He heard a sword swing and just merely dodged it from cutting his head off. He felt pain scorch through his scapula. He had been cut after all. Sasuke put pressure on it, his teeth gritting together. The gladiators seem to be coming out of nowhere. I'll have to get an overall view of the situation. Sasuke ran forward and leaped, using the net to climb up. As soon as he was high enough, he saw that the people were charging at each other with the the big ones fighting each other and the smaller ones fighting each other. Once in a while, a skilled man would attack someone else and nobody seemed to actually have a strategy. He could use this to his advantage. By sneaking up on the unskilled gladiators, he could kill them and let the bigger ones get each other. Sasuke headed down the fence and jumped onto a man, crushing his ribs. He kept his sword out and spun around in a quick rotation, keeping anyone from hitting him from all sides as he took a look at where he was. The bigger men were on the other side getting rid of each other. He smirked as he stabbed the guy in front of him. Seeing a guy attacking from the back in his sword he gave him a back kick and applied pressure on the sword so the could hold on while he kicked another guy into the previous one. They began to brawl. Another guy came and kicked Sasuke on the side making him fall to his knees in pain. His scapula wasn't doing well and was starting to affect his vision and the pain in his side was agonizing. Using his sense of direction, he took out his sword and hit the guy. My movements are getting slower. Sasuke stayed in his spot and defended himself instead of hurting others so he could recover. The guys were decreasing by the second. Looks like I'm not the only one who's injuries have gotten to them. I could take this time to wipe some guys out. Sasuke charged forward and hit the guys who he was defending against. He had naturally been good at defending myself but he didn't think this would be that easy. He chuckled, proud of him being able to survive until he felt something jab through him. He looked down at his lower abdomen to see blood dripping out and a thick sword going through. The sword was pulled out and Sasuke fell onto his hands and knees. The other guy, who noticed he wasn't dead yet and lifted his sword again. Sasuke closed his eyes. The mans sword clashed with another. Someone is defending me? were the last thoughts he has before everything went black.

Naruko's POV:

The gladiator fight was still going on and I couldn't help but worry for the guy with Raven hair that was in the gladiator fight. He was so young! He did NOT deserve this. However, he was doing pretty well, as if he was skilled by instinct and didn't even know it. I smiled at his techniques. They were really something else. Until, my eyes widened, a man the size of a monster pierced his sword into the guy. I stood up.

"Naruko don't," Kushina stated.

"I have to mom, he's only a teenager. He's not supposed to be here." With that, I jumped off the fence and ran towards the guy and picked up my pace when I saw the man lift his sword again. I blocked the sword in time and breathed a sigh of relief. I only had a cut on my bicep. The guy looked shocked and I took that opportunity to use one of my high quality weapons. It worked like a zip line and had a blade on the end. I pressed the button and the blade went through the man. Hastily I picked up the guy the best I could only to have him slump and pressed a button which had the blade and directed it to the wall above where I was sitting. I pressed another button that sent me and the guy flying to the wall like what happened when you let go of a tape measure. This boy needed medical attention, fast. I called for Tsunade, our best medic, and she took him to our private hospital. I followed behind hoping he would be okay.


	3. New Friend

I woke up to a bright white light that stung my eyes. Where am I? I thought This isn't the shack that I live in. I then remembered the gladiator tournament. Am I dead? Is this place the afterlife?

"It looks like you've woken up," an unknown voice said. I glanced up to see a lady with two light blonde ponytails that rested on her back. "I recommend you don't get up for a while, your cut could reopen any second." I looked down to see stitches on my lower abdomen. The lady headed out and went to talk with someone outside I couldn't see. A girl about my age with pink hair and a nurse's coat came in and checked some minor injuries and the iv plugs and made sure that everything was working. I noticed she peeked at me when she thought I wasn't looking. A girl that was only interested in me because of my looks, pretty lame.

"Umm uh y-your'e all good i'll go c-call Naruko," she stuttered. She went out of the room and came in again with a girl wearing an orange tank with black leather looking pants. A orange and black coat was hanging around her waist and her upper left arm was bandaged. Sasuke recognized her immediately, i mean, who wouldn't? She was the Hokage's daughter. She took a look at sasuke and then his wound.

"How are you feeling um-"

"Sasuke," I replied. She smiled but I didn't let it get to me. She was probably being nice so that I could agree to be her slave or something. She walked over and grunted in mid step clutching her left arm which started to become red with blood.

"Naruko you sh-"

" I'm fine Sakura, treat him first," she pointed to me.

" But Na-

" Sakura I only have a cut, don't worry." I stared at her arm. It looked like it had been done my a weapon. I then looked at the weapon by her waist. It had dry blood on it. No way, was she?

"Were you the one? That saved me?" I croaked. She turned around with her golden hair going freely with her movement. She grinned,

" Yup," she said popping the p. "and now, you should probably go to sleep." She was on the edge of my bed now. Why would she help me? There is no way someone with a high rank like her would help me with nothing to her benefit.

"Why?" I asked. Her eyebrows scrunched, indicating she didn't know what I was talking about. " Why would you help me? I'm only a poor slave."

"Because you're only a teenager, the people said you were seventeen. There's no way I could let you stay in that hell hole. Especially if you weren't supposed to be there in the first place."

"Yeah right, I bet you are just trying to use me. None of you nobles are actually good at heart and you certainly don't look kind enough to help someone like me." Naruko's eyes looked at me with hurt. She sat on my bed and before i knew it, pulled me into a hug. My breath hitched. The hug was very warm and kind. It reminded me of the times my mom comforted me when I was upset as a kid. I felt upset thinking about her even now. She was one of the best moms there was. I didn't even know I was hugging back until I felt Naruko shift in my arms. Nevertheless, I didn't want to let go, to let go of this warmth. When Naruko and I did finally spring apart, she smiled a warm caring smile.

"I thought you might have needed that," she whispered. Then she winced and gritted her teeth as she clutched her arm. The girl named Sakura dragged Naruko out saying something about her being irresponsible. I chuckled at the scene they were making as I felt myself going to sleep. When I woke up, I found Naruko sleeping in a chair in the same room. I smiled at her peaceful face and attempted to get up. I tried to use my arms to help me up but only ended up falling and landing in an uncomfortable position. By that Naruko had woken up and was walking towards me. She gently put her arm around my shoulders and put her other one on my chest, getting me into a sitting position. When she looked up I realised that our faces were only inches away from each other. I felt heat go up to my face and saw a light blush dusting her face as well.

"So um, I came here to see if you would want to go to some of my classes with me since you will have nothing to do after you heal," Naruko stated with a cheeky grin. She is going to help me more even after this? I keep want to think nobles are selfish, but this girl keeps changing my mind.

"Won't that make me a nuisance?' I asked.

"Of course NOT!" she yelled,"where were you going to go if you left here anyway? There was no way I could let you go back to the shed you lived in as a slave. Anyway, they're getting your files and materials from there so you can live here." As if on cue, A lady with fiery red hair walked in. I recognised her as the hokage's wife. She eyed me and Naruko and smiled. What is she thinking?

" Naruko, I have Sasuke's files. I thought you might want to see it and we can confirm it with Sasuke himself." Kushina walked over and Naruko grabbed the file. She took out the papers and let me see. I nodded at the information saying it was correct.

"Wait a second! SASUKE. You're an Uchiha?" Naruko asked in astonishment. I looked at her suspiciously and nodded. What was so significant about my last name? Kushina's eyes widened.

"He probably doesn't know," she said looking down. Naruko sighed and looked into my eyes. "How old were you when your parents died?" I looked over to Kushina. How did she know my parents died?

"How did you know tha-"

" The whole Uchiha Clan was killed in one day. Some rumors even said a man named Uchiha Itachi killed them all," Naruko said impatiently. My eyes widened. The whole clan, had ...died? Not just my parents?

"That explains why your fighting techniques were so well, the Uchihas were the best at fighting in all of Konoha," Kushina added. This was a lot to take in. I was the only one left in my clan if you didn't count Itachi. Naruko saw I looked sad and decided to cheer me up.

" Well, Tsunade, our personal doctor said that you will be healed by tomorrow. Guess you could come with us then."

" Yeah," I answered and felt myself drift to sleep again. I was going to live with the Hokage. I guess this is the start of a new life.


	4. The bridge builder

Naruko and Sasuke panted as their sensei, Kakashi, made them run laps around the field. The two of them seemed dead for they were sweating bullets and panting like crazy. It has been two weeks since Sasuke had recovered and his presence had become a normal part of Naruko and her family's lives. People didn't really know that the former slave was living in the Hokage's house but the people that did had accepted it. Right now, they were taking a shower and changing their sweaty clothes. Naruko got into the shower and washed the sweat off her body and washed her golden hair. Getting out, she wrapped a towel around her and opened the door to go to her room. Just then Sasuke opened the door asking if she was ready. Naruko screamed realizing that all she had on was a towel and Sasuke immediately closed the door with a fiery blush on his cheeks. Naruko hastily slipped on a shirt and sweatpants. It was almost lunchtime so she headed downstairs. Meanwhile, Sasuke was having a conflict with his mind. I saw Naruko... Half naked. The daughter of the Fourth Hokage was only in a towel in front of me. Her hair was wet, making water go down her back and inside her towel and her legs looked so soft and WHAT AM I THINKING?! Sasuke shook his head ridding his head of thoughts. He went downstairs where he already found Naruko. He smiled and sat down next to her. Not long after lunch was served, Minato started talking,

"Okay so I have a job for you two," he stated ," you are going to help with building the bridge since we are low on people." Naruko nodded and Sasuke answered in a yes. "Great, and since we want everyone to work in 3 man teams, we are going to have Sakura Haruno join your jobs from now on." Sasuke thought back of the blushing girl with pink hair. Not that girl. She really is annoying.

Sasuke POV:

We went to the construction grounds ready to help. The bridge was made so there could be trade with other countries and since a lot of adults have been on jobs outside the country lately, there hasn't been a lot of people to work. Because of this, the council was collecting teenagers that could work to help out. When we got there we saw the man we were working under was named Yamato and he was really good with wood.

"Okay you three," he started talking,"you're going to start off by chopping the timber wood and making them in a proportion so that we can use them." I nodded. He gestured for us to follow him and started walking near to the forest. He took out a chainsaw and a stick that looked like it was use for measuring. We watched as he showed us how to correctly hold the tool and how to cut evenly. "Okay so you are going to hold and keep it steady like this." He showed us how to cut. "Got it?" he asked.

"Yes!" Naruko yelled,"let's do it!" I rolled my eyes at her enthusiasm.

"Did you even pay attention to the lecture?" Sakura asked.

" Nope," Naruko said in a matter of fact tone. "How hard can this be?" I saw her pick it up. That idiot is picking it up wrong. She's going to chop her arm off.

" You're holding it wrong dobe," I muttered and fixed her holding position so that she would cut the wood. Not herself.

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME YOU TEME!" she yelled. She launched herself at me trying to hit me but having good reflexes I dodged all of them.

"YOU IDIOT!" Sakura yelled and hit Naruko on the head. "Don't hurt Sasuke-kun." I saw Yamato visibly sweat drop and leave the scene. Yeah, just leave this mess all to me then. You can just just leave and pretend as if you were never here.I marched up to the two girl and spread both of them apart and grabbed them both by their collars.

"Stop, we have work to do," I stated in my most stern voice. Naruko grinned as a smug look took over her face.

"I bet I can cut more pieces of wood than you Sasuke!" she challenged. REAlly? I sighed,

" No, we have to pay attention and cut precisely."

"I bet you are afraid that you will lose." OKAY THAT CUT IT. I went up and grabbed a chainsaw an smirked up at naruko. She's on, and she should be prepared to lose. We turned on our tools and started cutting, wood chips flying everywhere. I looked to the side at her. We had the same amount cut and before we knew it the wood was all used up.

"DONE!" we both yelled at the same time. I scowled at Naruko and Sakura had a horrified look on her face. She pointed at the pile of food shakily and I turned around. I looked at the sight in shock. Uneven and broken pieces were everywhere and the whole place was a big mess.

"Naruko! Look at what you did!" Sakura yelled. She went over and started beating her up. I cringed at the sight. I wouldn't want to be in her place. Naruko started yelling things like "Why not sasuke?" and "Wait stop sakura, HELP ME OVER HERE YOU TEME" I couldn't help but laugh. This was one of the most hilarious sights I have seen. I smiled looking at Naruko's face and to piss her off more, I started walking away. Her loud yells followed me throughout the forest but were pushed at the back of my head when I saw two people huddled in a place. I could barely make out what they were saying so I came closer.

"Okay so what we have to do is go around into the building and kill the person in charge of making the bridge , Tazuna of the land of the waves." My eyes widened as a million of thoughts ran through my head. Why were they planning on killing the man named Tazuna? Who are these people? But what went through my mind most was: I have to get Naruko and Sakura and tell the hokage. Running as fast as I could, I traced my steps back to where Sakura was done with beating up Naruko and she just laid there on the floor.

"You guys we're going back," I said firmly. Sakura nodded and I picked up the now sleeping Naruko and gave her a piggy back. Her head slumped on my shoulder and her hair came down, obstructing my face. Someone's a heavy sleeper. I walked as fast as I could to the hokage's office. Seeing Naruko on my back, Minato responded instantly.

"What happened?" He asked.

"We were sound our job and I walked away and overheard a conversation between outsiders," I started. At this, Naruko got up and off my back. "They were planning on killing the bridge builder Tazuna." Minato nodded and dialed a number on his phone. Not long after, Kakashi sensei had come into the room. He was debriefed on the situation. After a while of thinking, Minato made a decision,

"Okay, you four are going to have a job of protecting the man named Tazuna."


	5. Zabuza

"This job is too easy," Naruko groaned. She had grown tired of following the bridge builder all day. Sakura and Sasuke had gotten pretty fed up with it too and Naruko's groans were only getting on their nerves. They sighed and kept walking next to the Tazuna, who had gotten pretty tired of their presence. They were going to the woods and not a single person was in sight.

"You guys keep your guard up from now on, there's no signal in this place so we can't call for help if anything happens." Kakashi informed the kids next to him. This grabbed their attention and made them hyped on protecting Tazuna.

"HA! Don't worry Kakashi-sensei! This will be child's play for us," Naruko yelled.

"Don't get too overconfident," Sakura instructed while Sasuke just muttered a "hn" and looked forward. "SEE even Sasuke-kun agrees with me! You're so smart Sasuke- kun" Sakura swooned. Naruko rolled her eyes. That sasuke. He always acts like he's so cool and gets so much attention, Naruko thought. He'll find his right place soon. I am way better than him. Naruko turned her head away and put her arms behind her head. Kakashi sweatdropped at the team he was given.

UNKNOWN POV:

The bridge builder was going through the woods. This was perfect. They had completely fallen into my trap. I smirked, he was accompanied with three kids and a man. Did they really think they could go up against me? I followed them for a while waiting until they got near the lake, where I would be at an advantage because I spent a lot of training sessions here and I knew the place better than anyone else.

"Kakashi-sensei," one of the kids started.

"I know," the man who was supposed to be Kakashi replied. Kakashi? I've heard that name before. Kakashi, also known as the copy cat ninja, his skills are so good that he can copy almost anyone's skill and is practically considered a ninja. I smiled, this is going to be fun. I threw my weapon, the neck cleaver, right above their heads into a tree and jumped on it.

"Surrender peacefully and give me the bridge builder," I stated.

"As if!" A girl with blonde hair yelled. Man she was loud. I smirked, there's no way they could take me. I jumped off the blade and grabbed it, getting ready for combat.

NARUKO'S POV:

The guy came to the ground with a thud. I grabbed a kunai and got in position. I wasn't going to use any special weapon until we were in a rough position. He was pretty confident. I saw Sakura and Sasuke grab a weapon as well. I ran forward and got ready to attack. I came close to him with my kunai pointed at his chest. I blocked with his sword. I widened my eyes and he used his blunt edge of his sword to send me flying. I landed on my hands and knees near Sakura and Sasuke.

" Don't have such obvious attacks, dobe," Sasuke sniggered.

"At least I did something!" I yelled back. That teme! I turned to see Kakashi- sensei was fighting the man. I think he called him Zabuza. I looked at Kakashi - sensei, he had a pretty tough fight in his hands. The two seemed to be equally matched. Sasuke charged towards Zabuza but he dodged and hit Sasuke in the chest. He was also sent flying back but did a backwards summersalt and regained his posture.

"I think we should just guard Tazuna from comrades if he has any," Sasuke said. I nodded and Sakura let out a "yes Sasuke-kun ". We went on each side of Tazuna so there was no blindspots. I watched as Zabuza and Kakashi-sensei battled it off. They really were powerful. I still had a long way to go. I bet I'll become the best in the town and be considered Hokage! The two men were fighting and it was Zabuzas sword against Kakashi's kunai. Kakashi was trapped because if he turned to attack with another hand, he would get hit by the neck cleaver.

"Kakashi-sensei's screwed!" Sakura yelled. I gritted my teeth. I needed a plan, and fast. Since we can't take Zabuza on our own... GOT IT!

"Hey! Sasuke! I have a plan. Sakura, you stay here and guard Tazuna. I came up to Sasuke and muttered my plan in his ear. He smirked and nodded. He took out a shuriken and threw it at Zabuza. There was a rare chance that he would dodge. Zabuza jumped in the air but kept his sword on Kakashi-sensei successfully dodging the shuriken. I took the chance to run behind him and use my weapon to get swept towards a tree. This way, I could attack from behind. I ran towards Zabuza as he tried to dodge the second shuriken. He didn't notice me at all. This was good. I ran at him with a kunai in hand. He dodged the second shuriken. There was something in his hand. What was it? It shined. A kunai? He had known our trick. I was still running at him and he managed to get a scratch at his side but he pushed me down and put a kunai deep in my leg. I screamed as he moved it around and then kicked me in the leg. The pain was almost unbearable. It felt like the demons were there to punish me. I couldn't give up here. I was going to become hokage. Using the tree behind me's support, I brought myself up. Limping towards the man, I knew he was ready for my attack. I went as fast as I could and grabbed shuriken out of my pouch. I threw it at him and he blocked it with his kunai. I ran up to him and he punched me in the head down to the ground. I felt dizzy, but I knew what I had to do. I took my weapon, which I had implanted in the tree earlier (I took it out) and pressed the button that would make it longer so I could wrap it around his weapon. But at that moment, the stomped on my ribs. I felt numb at first but got a load of pain like a truck ran over me when I coughed up a lot of blood. I heard Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei and Sakura yelling my name. I held my hand weakly to stop Sasuke from running up to me and swiftly kicked Zabuza hard with my good leg on the part opposite of his knees. That caught him off guard and made him slightly lose his balance. Kakashi- sensei took the opportunity and got out of the trap. He led Zabuza away from me and yelled,

"Sasuke! Take her away from here!" Kakashi-sensei yelled. I heard quick footsteps and saw Sasuke's face in front of me. I still felt dizzy from my head hitting the floor. I felt arms scoop me up.

"You did great, dobe" I heard.

"Sasuke," was the last word I said before I snuggled into the firm arms holding me and fell unconscious.


	6. Chapter 6

I woke up to darkness. Where was I? What happened? I remembered fighting Zabuza and passing out as I helped Kakashi. I remembered Sasuke picking me up and helping me out of the battlefield. But where was this place? This wasn't the forest? Why is it black? I felt some light seep through. There were footsteps and before I knew, there was a bunch of light and Sakura came into my view. She looked at my face and gasped,

"C'mon guys! She's awake." she yelled. I saw Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei walk in and stared at me. I looked around at my surroundings. Was this a cave?

"Where are we?" I croaked. Sakura rushed outside and got water when she heard my dry voice.

"After you passed out, me and Sakura came to this cave, while Kakashi- sensei fought Zabuza and won. Zabuza was then taken away by tracker ninja," Sasuke started. Kakashi - sensei nodded and looked like he was thinking.

" I think Zabuza might still be alive," Kakashi- sensei stated bluntly. I gasped and tried to stand up only to have pain and nausea and was about to fall. Sasuke quickly caught me and I grunted at my aching limbs. "You shouldn't be standing on your own right now. Your injuries are still deep," Kakashi sensei muttered. I got into a sitting position and looked at Kakashi-sensei telling him to continue. "The tracker ninja that picked him up was very suspicious. He picked him up and took him to another place instead of killing him on the spot. I think he is a comrade of Zabuza." I stared at him the whole time while he explained what he thought. I didn't understand a bit except the 'he might be Zabuzas partner' part. If Zabuza is still alive then we might have to fight him again. I thought. I have to recover soon. I looked at Sakura.

"How long until you think I can recover?" I asked Sakura. She gave it a thought and answered,

"Probably a day or two until you can walk again." I looked at her and smiled. I wasn't in as much pain and was healing quickly. This is going to fly by.


	7. Haku

A week had passed and all of Naruko's wounds had pretty much healed. A week had passed and not a clue was left behind about Zabuza or the tracker. Naruko, Sasuke, and Sakura were traveling behind Kakashi- sensei and were guarding Tazuna. They knew from earlier Zabuza had a knack of jumping out of the shadows. They were traveling, about to go out of the forest. They would then be on another country's grounds. The moment they stapped out, they saw someone sitting on a bench near the shore. They walked up to them and to their horror they saw the man was the one and only, Zabuza. Sakura gasped and guarded Tazuna while Sasuke noticed something was off. The tracker guy wasn't there. He sensed a needle-like kunai coming and threw his own blocking it.

"Oh? Looks like we have a sharp one here," the tracker stated." But don't get too confident. I'm Haku, and I'll make sure you won't leave this place alive." Sasuke gritted his teeth and started to attack. Before you knew it, they were in a full out fight. Kakashi had also started attacking Zabuza. Naruko and Sakura stayed and protected Tazuna. The mist started to grow around them, making it hard for them to see. Zabuza and Haku, however, were unfazed, this place being their hometown.

 **Sasuke's POV:**

Argh! I can't see a thing! The whole place is so foggy! I can barely make out colors. I closed my eyes and let my other senses take over. I sensed Haku coming and immediately blocked. He backed up and came charging again from another side. This is easier than I thought. I blocked the guy again and tried to hit him. He dodged to the side and sent a needle through my shoulder. he's fast. He used my shocked state to send ment more down my bicep and shoulder. "Arghhhh!" I yelled. This guy was tough.

 **Naruko's POV:**

I heard a loud groan of pain coming from Sasuke's side. I couldn't see where I was going but I had to help him, fast. Running as fast as I could with my short legs, I went to help Sasuke. The fog and mist was higher here. I scrunched my eyes and found Sasuke defending himself. I ran up to him and declared,

"I'm here to help you Sasuke!" He audibly groaned and I helped defend our backs. This guy came out of the blue and was almost everywhere. He came straight towards me and I yelped, immediately defending myself. He smirked in my face and was then gone. I was then only greeted with sharp pain in my leg. I had previously gotten hurt here before. I fell to my knees and clenched my teeth in pain. I hadn't felt pain at this level at all before this job. I staggered back to my feet and ran away to avoid the attacks coming at me. This guy was mega fast.

"Wait Naruko keep it up! I'll try to figure out this guy's trick!" Sasuke yelled. I only had 50% of my vision back. That teme. Trying to distract him I threw kunai at him, which he effortlessly dodged. I ran further and further, trying to not get caught. I was overloading myself. I knthat. But I couldn't give up as long as I'm still alive. I kept attacking as distractions while Sasuke tried to figure out his attack positions and strategies. I was running when I looked back and threw all the shuriken I had. But I didn't notice a tree root on the ground and fell on the ground. He threw a couple needles at me and was now aiming for my heart. "NARUKO!" I heard Sasuke yell.

 **Sasuke POV:**

He was going to kill her. He was going to kill Naruko. I had to stop him. I couldn't let Naruko die.

"NARUKO!" I yelled. She turned around to face me. Shit! Make it in time I thought. I ran up and did the first thing that came to mind, I jumped in front of the attack. The pain came instantly. I coughed up blood and noticed Naruko stare at me in horror. Her hands were shaking. My vision got dizzy and I couldn't stand up anymore. I fell back, and Naruko caught me in her lap. I noticed tears coming out of her eyes. It broke my heart. Seeing tears on Naruko's eyes made me want to cry as well. I grabbed her cheek with one hand and looked straight up at her. She looked shocked. "You have to defeat Haku quickly. He's slowed down and the mist has cleared. I know you can do it Naruko. You need to live. Don't give up on your dreams dobe." I felt my eyes closing involuntarily until it all turned black.

 **Naruko's POV:**

"SASUKE!" I screamed the tears coming at full force now. He may be annoying, overconfident, cocky, and competitive but he was still Uchiha Sasuke. And he was gone now forever. I looked at him and slowly pulled him into a hug.

"You've never seen a friend die in battle?" Haku asked. That one phrase made me snap and fill with rage. The one person that accepted me for more than just being the hokages daughter was Sasuke. The one person that actually become a close friend was Sasuke. The one person I felt completely comfortable was Sasuke. He was now dead because of Haku. If looks could kill, Haku would be deep in hell by now. I got up and threw a kunai straight up at him. He was shocked and just barely missed. My next throws and punches were reckless and angry. I had a lot of energy and stamina and Haku was really tired. I punched him as hard as possible and stabbed him with a kunai. He collapsed to the ground. I walked up to Sasuke and put his head in my lap and yelled for Sakura. She gasped and her eyes filled with tears when she saw Sasuke. I looked down feeling all the blame. If I hadn't been so ignorant Sasuke wouldn't have to risk his life for me. I was pathetic. I cried silently, my tears falling on Sasuke's now pale face. Kakashi had also defeated Zabuza and came up to us. He looked at the scene and understood what was going on.

"Let's get going back," he stated, we still have a bridge to build." I nodded. I got up shakily dragging Sasuke with me but my legs gave up and I fell to the ground. I began slipping unconscious. I guess I did overdo it.


End file.
